


Joining the Team

by inadaydream



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Gen, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-07-11 21:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15980756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inadaydream/pseuds/inadaydream
Summary: Ongoing story... I'm hoping for no more than 20 chapters, max.  Eventually there will be a pairing, but not yet.OC (an imp) was an outsider, and not always on the side of the Winchesters.  She has since wormed her way on to the team, at least unofficially.





	1. Close Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> Being upfront & honest, I haven't really watched the show yet (sorry, I know), but I've seen enough clips and read enough fanfic that I hope I capture the characters well enough. Also, my apologies if there is already a creature similar to my original character.

“Hey! Behind you, Sam!” Dean yells.

Sam turns around in time to avoid getting bit. He grabs the ghoul and roughly shoves it towards Dean, who shoots it in the head, thus ending another hunt.

“Wow, that was close,” Sam pants, and wipes some sweat off his face.

“Yeah, glad that’s done. Let’s get out of here.” 

Dean starts to walk off towards the church parking lot where he left Baby, when he spots you sitting on a tombstone.

“Shit. She’s back,” he says and gestures towards you.

Sam looks over and rolls his eyes, but keeps plodding along towards the car.

“Who cares? She’s just staring at us like always. And we’ve tried catching her… didn’t work,” he mumbles.

Dean looks back over, but you’ve disappeared. “Yeah, whatever.” And he tags along after Sam.

When he reaches Baby he digs in his pocket, fishing out the keys. As he starts to unlock the door he hears a familiar growl behind him. “You’ve got to be shittin’ me,” he thinks. 

He turns around to see the ghoul glaring at him, ready to attack. “How the hell did you come back to life?” he asks it, as it lunges towards him. 

Sam pulls out his gun, and takes aim, but the church is blocking any light where they parked, making it hard to tell which shadow is his brother and which one is the ghoul. He can hear it snapping its jaws at Dean though.

“Try to move it closer to the cemetery, Dean. I can’t see well enough to shoot.”

“Yeah, I’ll try,” he grunts.

Sam moves around Baby, into the light from the moon and streetlights just as the ghoul gets thrown near his feet. He jumps back and Dean comes forward, pulling his gun out too. Both brothers take aim and fire, but both miss as the ghoul lunges towards Sam at the last second. Sam gets knocked over, hitting his head hard on the cement. He groans and drops his gun. Dean reaches him in time to shove the ghoul over again. This time his aim is true.

He turns his attention back to his brother. Laying his gun down he reaches to cradle Sam’s head in his hands. 

“Hey, Sammy. Hey. You alright?” He tries to fight the panic as his brother fails to respond to him.

He lays Sam back down gently. Pulling his hand away, he realizes that there’s some blood on it. He quickly checks for a pulse, and breathing. Both are present, but the breathing seems too shallow. He catches some movement out the corner of his eye. Thinking the ghoul is back, he grabs his gun, and aims. Before he fires off a round, he sees that it’s you. You’re closer than you’ve been before, but you don’t seem like you’re going to attack. He frowns at you. He’s unsure of your motives, but maybe you can help. He knows you’re not human, but that’s about all him and Sam really know about you.

“Hi,” he says cautiously. “Can you help him?” He nods his head towards Sam.

You look from Sam to Dean to the ghoul. You seem unhappy with the idea of helping the Winchesters. Finally you come to a decision. You sit back some, away from the scene, but still in the parking lot. “No.” 

“Why?!” He stares at you. “Can’t you help? Look, I don’t know what the hell you are, only what you aren’t, but are you trying to tell me you don’t know how?” He doesn’t believe you can’t, but thinks it’s more that you won’t. He’s right.

You look away a bit. “I’m not here for you.” You look back at him. You seem calm. No hatred, but also no sympathy in your eyes.

“Fine!” Dean spits out. He prays for Cas to come help his brother. 

A moment later and there’s a flutter of wings. Castiel kneels down by Sam’s head, on the other side from Dean. He touches Sam, using his grace to heal him. As soon as Sam is recovered and starting to sit up, there’s a quick movement next to Dean, and the ghoul also starts to come around.

“Damn it!” Dean yells. He aims his gun, but only hits the ghoul in the leg, slowing it down, but not killing it.

Sam reaches for his gun as Castiel stands up looking perplexed. He points towards the edge of the parking lot at you. “Why is there an imp here?” he asks.

“A what?” Dean asks, looking at Cas, momentarily distracted. Thankfully Sam is paying attention as he puts a bullet right between the eyes of the ghoul who was seconds away from biting Dean. 

“An imp,” Castiel repeats looking down on the brothers. “And we should leave because I think she’s just going to keep bringing that ghoul back to life.”

Dean and Sam stand up, flicking their eyes from the ghoul to you, ready to use force if they need to.

“Why?” Sam asks. 

The boys look at Cas, waiting for answer, and that’s when you seize the moment to resurrect the ghoul yet again.

“It doesn’t matter right now. Let’s leave,” Castiel says again.

The Winchesters both sigh as they see the ghoul getting back up. This time, though, they make it back to the car before it attacks, but not before Dean shoots off a warning shot in your direction, and puts another bullet in the ghoul’s head.

Castiel and Sam just look at him as they pile into Baby.

“What,” he says, starting the engine, “I didn’t hit her.” He grins and peels out of the parking lot, leaving you alone with the monster.


	2. A Brief Description

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel fills the guys in on what an imp is
> 
> ******************************************

After they put some miles between you and them, Dean speaks up.

“So… what’s the deal with the imp?”

Sam, whose laptop is open to some research, chimes in the same time Castiel does.

“Woah,” Dean says, raising a hand.  “One at a time.”

Sam turns to look at Castiel, and nods at him to continue.

“Basically an imp is a being whose purpose it is to maintain the equilibrium in the world.”

“English,” Dean says annoyed.

Castiel sighs.  He finds it just as irritating as Dean does that he has to explain himself.

“She keeps the balance between good and evil.”

Sam and Dean are quiet for a while; thinking of all the times they’ve run into you.

“So…” Sam says, turning back to face Dean and Cas.  “She’s not malicious?  Because when you look up ‘imp’ it shows a creature that doesn’t seem very friendly: bat wings, gremlin head, claws…  I mean, we’ve never really had a problem with her.  She just watches us, which is creepy, but this is the first time she’s messed with us.”

“She does have wings,” Cas states, “but they don’t look like a bats.  They are small and feathered.”

“She’s an angel?!” Dean asks.

“No, she’s an imp.”

Sam tries not to smile as Dean and Castiel get more annoyed with each other.

Dean lets out a frustrated sigh, “Fine.  So she’s got wings like an angel, but isn’t an angel, whatever.  What else?”

“Her wings are much smaller.  And they’re really not like an angels, though, I suppose, that is the closest comparison.”  Dean rolls his eyes at Castiel’s answer; a gesture that does not go unnoticed, though Cas chooses not to comment on it.  “She does not have a gremlin head, nor claws.  However, she does have horns.”

Dean turns and quickly looks at Cas, “She’s a demon?!!”  He turns back to watch the road, but his hands grip the wheel tighter.  “Shit!”  He looks to Sam, “We should’ve killed her.  A warning shot wasn’t enough.  We need to go back.”

Castiel lays a hand on Dean’s shoulder, and leans forward between the seats.  “No, she’s not a demon.  I keep telling you she’s an imp.”

Dean shakes Cas’s hand off of him.  “I don’t care if you call her a walrus, you said she had horns.  Does she have black eyes too?  Doesn’t that make her a demon?”

Castiel leans back some, trying to remain patient.  “I didn’t see what color her eyes were.”  He thinks for a minute.  “I could go back and ask her if you want.”

Dean glares at Cas’s reflection in the rearview mirror.

Sam does his best to cover his chuckle, but he has a hard time.   “Uh… no,” he laughs, “I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”  Sam looks over to Dean, who’s trying his to keep his anger in check.  He’s not doing as good of a job as he thinks he is.

“Um… anything else you can tell us, Cas?” Sam asks politely, a smile still ghosting his lips.

“Not really.  I didn’t see her for long.  Her hair was brown, I think, though it could have been black.”

“Sam didn’t mean… ugh!  Look.  Just tell us more about imps in general.  I already know what color her hair is, she’s been following us for months.  And I don’t need to know how tall she is, her favorite foods, or even what the hell her mother’s name is!  Focus!  I just want to know if we need to turn around and kill her.”

“Fine,” Castiel huffs.  “Imps also have a tail.  They can fly, but only short distances; **_Not_** like an angel.”

Dean rolls his eyes, but Cas continues, “Yes, they have horns, but those are small too, like their wings.  They can resurrect people and other beings. They can heal, but not right away, and they keep the balance, like I said.”

“Thank-you,” Dean snaps.  “Now.  Do I need to kill her, and why the hell does she keep following us?”

“No, you don’t need to kill her, and she follows you because you are one of the biggest disruptors of the balance.” Castiel states.

“Hey! We don’t even cause most of the problems, they usually find us,” Dean points out.

“Exactly.”

Dean sighs, and watches the road.  “Alright, then what do we?  Nothing?  Why the hell was she even attacking us tonight?”

“Maybe we weren’t supposed to kill that ghoul,” Sam offers.  “We had just helped that lady earlier.  Maybe we did too much good?”  He looks to Cas to see if he’s on the right track.

“Maybe, but it doesn’t really matter if you did something nice earlier today.  It doesn’t even matter if you’ve done something nice every day.  What matters is the total amount of good and evil in the world now.”

“And we kill a lot of evil,” Dean adds, smiling proudly.

“Yes, you do,” replies Castiel, and he sits back quietly for the rest of the drive.


	3. On A Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Begrudgingly Dean helps you out.  
> \----------------------------

Over the next few months the boys see you on occasional hunts, but you seem to be sticking to the routine of keeping your distance.  They’ve started to view you more as a stray cat. 

Upon seeing you across the street, sitting on a bench, Sam jokes about setting out a dish of food or milk for you, but Dean doesn’t find it amusing.

“We don’t need a pet.  It’s enough taking care of myself,” Dean gripes, as he looks at you suspiciously for a moment.  He turns his attention to Sam with a small grin, “and watching out for you.”

Scoffing, Sam retorts, “Hey.  I can take care of myself.  And besides, you remember what Cas said, she can heal and resurrect.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep her around.”

Dean laughs, and continues walking down the sidewalk.  “Oh yeah, that’s a great idea.”

“It’s not that bad of an idea.  It’s part of why we keep Cas around.”

Dean gives his brother a sideways glance.  “And how about when she decides to sic another ghoul on us?”

“That happened one time.  And now we know why she did it,” Sam reminds him.  “If we befriended her, I’m sure she’d give us a heads up about what’s going to throw off the balance.”  He sees the skepticism on Dean’s face. 

“Look,” Sam continues, “she’s never attacked us directly, and Cas doesn’t seem concerned about her following us.”

Dean stops, and gestures towards you.  “Yeah, well, that doesn’t make her any less annoying.  Why’s she here now? Hmm?” He turns fully towards Sam, getting more upset.  “We’re not even doing anything.  This isn’t a hunt.  We’re standing on the goddam side of the street, walking down a sidewalk in broad daylight!  So, what’s her problem now?!”

Sam glances around at the people starting to stare.  “Dude, just calm down.”

Dean sweeps his arms out.  “Why?!  This is probably the most excitement this little town has seen all summer!”

He quickly stops causing a scene as he notices movement across the road.  He sees that you’ve disappeared, but then spots you further up the street.  You glance back to him, pausing for a moment, and then turn down a side road.

“Come on,” Dean says as he swats Sam on the chest.  They cross the street, jogging after you.

The boys see you standing in front of a closed store a few blocks down.  You seem to be waiting for them.  You passively watch them approach.  Have you ever shown them any other emotion?

Dean gets to you first, only slightly ahead of Sam.  Both of them have their weapons ready, but held down so as not to draw any unwanted attention from the locals, even though this part of town seems strangely deserted right now.

“Well, come on, Lassie,” Deans mocks you, “Tell us, did Timmy fall down the well?”

You roll your eyes at Dean, but say nothing.  He stares at you for a bit before you give in.  You sigh and say, “Inside,” nodding towards the door.

“Duh.” Dean replies.  “Gonna tell us what we’re walking into, or is it a surprise?” he adds sarcastically.

You clench your jaw, irritated with this human in front of you.  Aren’t you just trying to help him?  Isn’t this what he does with his time?  Always barging into places and killing whatever he finds; can’t he just do that now?

“Well?  Gonna say something?  Anything?” Dean says annoyed with you.  “I’m not going in there blindly, and now that I got you to talk, I want some answers.  Come on, speak girl.  Come on, you can do it.”  He pats his legs at you.

You bite your tongue and glare at him.  He’s such an ass.  You try to calm yourself, wanting to stay diplomatic, but the way he’s looking at you is pissing you off.

“I’m not a dog,” you bite out. 

“Ha!  I knew you could say more than one word.  Good, now what the hell is in there?” he says more seriously.

You glance between the two in front of you, and choose to address the tallest one, who seems to have better manners.  With a sigh, you say, “A couple of guys thought it would be a nice idea to cage up a few Ragarus.  It helped the town at first, but then they decided to try training them, only they can’t control them… as you’d expect.”

Sam sighs, and Dean rolls his eyes.  “Of course you can’t fucking control them.  Dumbasses,” he says.  “Now, why us?  Why can’t you do something about it?”

They both stare at you for an answer, but you don’t say anything at first.  Your actions are rarely questioned as the other beings let imps do what they do.  Only humans ever seem to demand answers from your kind, though you usually don’t interact with them as often as you’ve interacted with the Winchesters.

Reluctantly, you give them a response, “Normally I would intervene; once the balance has shifted.”

“Which means what to us?”  Dean stares at you, his eyebrow raised.

“Which means,” you say tartly, “that there hasn’t been enough of a shift for me to step in.  Perhaps,” you glare at Dean, “if some more townspeople were to die, it would.  Shall we wait?  I have time.”

Dean weighs his options.  He doesn’t like you, but he’s not really one to pass up a hunt.  He glances at the door to the shop, then closes his eyes, and lets out a huff.  Shaking his head he looks at his brother, “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s get this over with.”  And with that the boys get to work.

*********************

 

When Dean and Sam emerge from the old store, they aren’t surprised to see how late it is.  It took longer to take care of the problem then they thought.  They are surprised, though, to see you still hanging around.

Dean clears his throat, and wipes some blood off his hand and onto his pants.  “So what… you got another thing for us to do, or you just wanted to make sure we didn’t fuck this up?”

He glances pointedly at you.  You feel his irritation at your presence, but dismiss it. 

“Neither.  It just seemed polite to wait in case you needed help.”

Dean looks at you for a moment, then starts laughing.  “Ha ha, really??  Wow!”  He looks over to Sammy, who has a smirk on his face, then back to you.  “Well, then.  I guess I have to ask again, why didn’t you take care of it yourself if you couldn’t trust us to do it?”

The two of you stare at each other.  He knows he gets to you, and he likes it.  You’ve been a thorn in his side for nearly a year.  It’s about time he can give some of it back to you.

Finally, you turn away, missing the smile spreading across Dean’s face.  He knows he’s won this round.  Sam just rolls his eyes at the two of you.

There’s a sound of wings rustling, and then you’re gone.

“Bye, sweetheart,” Dean says with a grin.  He claps Sam on the back.  “Let’s go get something to eat, I’m starving.”


	4. Lull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally give my OC a name
> 
> ************

The next few weeks are a welcome break for Sam, but not so much for Dean.   With not much going on in the way of cases, he’s restless.  He enjoyed the first few days off; drinking, eating, and sleeping (though not always alone).  But as the days stretched out into a week, he found himself bored.  He tried to work on Baby, something he usually took pleasure in, but he really wasn’t one to sit around.

Sam, however, appreciates the time off.  He catches up on some research, makes some long overdue phone calls, and watches some movies, which Dean, occasionally, watches with him.  For the most part, Sam just relaxes; a fact that seems to irritate Dean as one week turns into two, and two into three, until finally Dean has had enough downtime, and needs some action.

He stands in the doorway glaring at his brother who’s watching a comedy, or so he assumes because Sam keeps chuckling at whatever’s on the screen. 

“Aren’t you tired of sitting around all the time?” Dean snaps.

Sam leans forward and grabs the remote.  He pauses the TV, tosses the remote down next to him, and looks at his brother.  He waits (slightly impatiently) for Dean to say something more; but he doesn’t.  Instead, he just glances around the room, clearly agitated.

Sighing, Sam offers, “Still bored?”  Dean just sneers at him. 

Sam stands up and stretches.  “We could go for a drive.  I made a list of some things we need from town.”

Dean scoffs at him.  “Really??  That’s it?  We haven’t had a job for weeks now.  We just sit around all day, and the closest suggestion you’ve come to, for us to actually do something, is to _‘run some_ _errands_ ’?! You’re shitting me right now, right!?”

 Sam just patiently looks at Dean.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Sam replies, “but we really do need to do a supply run.”

“Fine.”  Dean walks off with Sam trailing behind.  He grabs his keys, then turns around, with his hand on the doorknob, “And grab your laptop.  You’re finding us a case, and I don't care where or what.”

Sam smirks at him, replying, “You sure?”  Dean hesitates as he watches Sam grab his stuff.  “I thought you’d enjoy the peace and quiet.  I mean, if we’re not on a mission, we can’t change the balance, so you don’t have to hang out with Avra.”

Dean frowns at his brother as his hand drops away from the door, “Who?”

“The imp.”

“You know her name?  How?”

“Cas told me.”

Dean chuckles.  “Cas?  Cas told you?  When?  We haven’t gone anywhere, and I don’t remember him dropping by.” 

“He called.”

“He called?  For what?”

Sam shrugs nonchalantly knowing this is driving Dean crazy, but he’s enjoying it.  “I don’t know.  I guess he was looking for you, but said you weren’t answering your phone.”

“Damn it, Sam.  Why the hell didn't you say something sooner?”

“Sorry.  I didn't know you'd want to know her name right away,” he states, looking at Dean mischievously.

“Don't. Just… don't.”  Dean tries to shake the desire to kill his brother, and instead forces himself to calmly ask… again, “Why did Cas call?”

Taking some pity on his brother, Sam replies, “To follow up with some intel on the imp following us.”

“And… ” Dean retorts, hoping that this actually leads to something.

“And… he told me her name,” Sam says calmly.

“That's it??  God damn it!  You two… ugh!” And with that Dean yanks the door open and storms off to the Impala.  He gets in, slamming the door, starts the car, and then just sits there fuming until Sam climbs in too.

He turns and glares at his brother as he puts Baby in reverse.  “Not another word.  Just…” he huffs, “just find us some work.”  He backs onto the road, shifts gears and drives towards town.  “We'll get the shit off your list, but then we're going to kill something.”

Sam just smirks as he opens his laptop and starts looking for their next job.


	5. Smoked Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting up for the next chapter's fight
> 
>  
> 
> ***********

After the three week lull, life goes back to normal for the guys.  They manage to find a steady stream of cases, which keeps Dean as happy as it can.  Castiel even aids them on a few of the hunts, and from time to time, they’ve seen you, but at a distance.

Things seem to be going as well for them as it normally does, at least until today…

“God damn it, Sam.  I’m all out of Elf Root!  Do you have any on you?”

Sam looks at Dean perplexed, and slowly shakes his head no.  _What the hell is he talking about?_

“You know… health potions… I’m low, and these bastards keep coming….” *cough* “Come on!” *cough cough*

Sam’s eyes are watering, and he’s having a hard time breathing.  Dean keeps wavering in front of him with his hand outstretched, waiting to be handed… something.  Sam shakes his head again, trying to clear his thoughts.  He’s been having a hard time concentrating, and standing upright.  He’s having a hard time doing much of anything since they come down a flight.  Two flights??  How many stairs did they walk down?

A hand lands heavily on his arm from the left.  He jumps and turns to see Dean standing there, well, more like leaning.  He, also, seems to be having a difficult time.

*cough* “Weren’t you… weren’t you just over there?” Sam asks as he gestures to the right, realizing the air he’s breathing is probably making him hallucinate.

“Come on,” Dean wheezes, “we need to get out of here… I don’t think…” *cough* “that we can fight in this shit.”  He straightens up some and grabs Sam’s arm, pulling him towards a door.  After just a few steps they’re back in the stairwell.

Sam coughs several times before speaking.  “We were right by the stairs?” He seems surprised.  “Man, it felt like we went a lot further in than that.”

Smoke is seeping under the door, but not enough to bother either Winchester right now.

“Yeah,” Dean also coughs a couple of times, clearing out his lungs.  “I don’t know what the hell they’re burning in there, but we can’t follow them that way.   I couldn’t see straight, and we sure can’t breathe in that shit.  We need to go around.”  He leans over the railing, looking up, then down to see how many floors they’d have to cover.  He looks back to Sam.  “We either need to split up, or we could just wait here to see if the smoke kills them.”

Dean sits heavily on the bottom stair near him.  Whatever they were breathing in, hit them both hard.  Sam seems to be recovering a bit quicker, but not by much.  He carefully leans over the railing, mimicking what Dean did moments ago; trying to keep his balance.  He frowns, and pulls away from the railing looking at Dean.

“There’s 2 floors below us, and 5 above.”  Sam glances at the door they came out of; the smoke is starting to come out a little thicker.  “And I’m sure that there’s another set of stairs on the other side so who knows where they are now.”

Dean groans and puts his head in his hands.  He sits hunched over this way for a minute.  Finally, he stands up, dropping his arms by his sides.  “Alright, so now what?  I don’t want to chase these fuckers all over the building, but we can’t just let them go.”

Sam sighs.  “We’ll just have to canvas the area some more.  We already know a few places they’ve been spotted.  We can narrow it down from there.”  He grins at his brother.  “Besides, it’s not like it’s our first stakeout.”

Dean groans again, and runs a hand thru his hair.  “I like it better when we don’t waste our time knocking on doors, and sitting cramped in the car all night watching people not leave their houses.”

“Then let’s call in Cas.  You know he’ll help us narrow it down faster.”

“Whatever, but let’s get out of here,” Deans says as he starts up the stairs to the ground floor.  “I need some fresh air.”

***************

As soon as they are out of the building and Dean’s feet hit the gravel in the parking lot, he calls for Cas.

The sound of wings announces his arrival just as the Winchesters reach Baby.

He looks from Dean to Sam with a worried expression.  “Your eyes are red.  Have you been crying?”

“Yep.  That’s what we do when you’re not around,” Dean states sarcastically.  He rolls his eyes, and moves around Cas to the driver’s door.

Sam gives a soft chuckle, and clarifies for Castiel.  “They tried to smoke us out,” and he gestures to the building they just came from.

“Demons?” Castiel asks with a frown.

“Yeah,” Dean replies.  He slides behind the wheel as Sam opens his door.  “We lost them for now, but we’ll find the bastards.  Get in.”

Castiel just stands there looking at the building for a moment.  Dean glances over to see what the hell Cas is looking at.

He looks back to Castiel, who meets his gaze.  “What?”

“They’re still in there,” Cas says.

“Wait.  What?”  Dean looks back to the building and swings his legs back out of the Impala.  Standing, he motions for Sam to get out.  “You’re sure?”  He seems skeptical. 

“Yes.”

“Can you tell if they’re downstairs?  In the basement?  That’s where they started the fire that stopped us from chasing them any further.” Dean scoffs.  “Well, guess we could’ve waited them out,” he says to Sam.

“No,” comes Castiel’s reply.

“No?” Dean looks at him.

“No,” repeats Cas.  “They are not downstairs.  I can’t pinpoint what floor, but they are up there.”  He points to the top few floors of the old office building.

Dean looks to his brother, “You were right about another set of stairs, Sammy.”

“Yeah, but I’m surprised they stayed in the building.  They had plenty of time to get away.”

“The probably thought they drove us off, which they almost did, but thanks to this guy,” Dean states as he claps Cas on the back, “we’ll get them.”   With a determined look in his eyes, he glances from Sam to Cas, “Alright.  We need a plan.”


	6. Getting on Castiel's badside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not how to make friends with Castiel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm better at writing the story than summing up the chapter.  
> My apologies if I've gotten it wrong on how angel wards are removed.  
> Also this chapter is a bit longer than the others so far.
> 
>  
> 
> **************

As they head back into the building, Sam and Cas cut across the ground floor going up one stairwell, while Dean goes up the other.  The goal is for them to block the door on the top floor with a crowbar from the Impala’s trunk, then meet Dean on his side for an ambush. 

They figure if they worked quickly and quietly, it shouldn’t be too hard since they’d only be dealing with a couple of low level demons.

Sam and Cas make it to the top floor without incident.  Sam takes the crowbar and wedges it under the bottom of the door; shoving it with his foot for good measure.  Castiel pulls on the door just to make sure it’s stuck tight.  He glances at Sam, and nods.  They then head back down a floor, to cross back over to Dean’s side of the building.

Dean, meanwhile, takes his time climbing the stairs.  He knows his brother and Cas are going to take longer than him.  All he needs to do is not alert the demons that they are coming, and to make sure none of them try to slip past him.  Easy peazy.

As Dean comes around the bend to the 3rd floor, he sees you sitting on the stairs.  He groans, but keeps trudging upwards.  He does, however, slow his step as he makes his way past you to the 4th floor.  On the landing, halfway up, he stops, and turns back around.  You turn to see why he stopped.

“Do I dare ask why you’re here now?” Dean quips.  And of course, you don’t answer him.  He shakes his head, “Whatever.  Just stay out of our way, Avra.”  And he continues up the last flight.

You look after him for a moment, a slight frown creasing your face, as you wonder how he knew your name.

**************

Sam pulls the door open to the 3rd floor and lets Cas walk ahead of him.  They’re a third of the way down the hallway when Cas suddenly senses demons on this floor.  He turns to warn Sam a second too late.  A door opens to the right and hands reach out to pull Sam in.  Castiel lunges to grab him, but Sam is pulled off balance and falls into the room.

Castiel tries, but can’t go in after him.  There are more than just a few demons in this room.  Several are struggling to drag Sam across the floor.

“Shit.  Sam!” Cas yells from the doorway.

“Get Dean!”

Castiel turns and flies to Dean in the stairwell, who jumps at the sudden appearance of the angel.

“What the hell?!”

Looking quite upset, Castiel nearly shouts in Dean’s face, “They took Sam!  I didn’t know they were there!  I’m sorry.”

Dean stands a little straighter, pissed.  “Who took Sam?” he grinds out.

“The demons.  And there are more than we thought.”

“Why the hell didn’t you know they were there?!?”

“Angel wards.  It’s why I couldn’t get a lock on where they were at first.  And the few I sense upstairs must be decoys.”

“Shit.”  Dean looks at the door to the 4th floor for a moment, then moves past Cas to the 3rd floor.  Castiel starts to follow, but Dean stops him.  “NO.  You take care of the bastards up there, then come help us.”  He leaves the angel standing there, and brushes past you; who’s still sitting on the stairs.  He yanks the door open and runs down the hall to help his brother.

Cas watches him for a moment, guilt and anger marring his features, when he catches sight of you.  He’s momentarily stunned to see you, but decides to not question your presence as there are more pressing matters to take care of.   He turns and heads thru the door to the 4th floor.

You continue to sit patiently; waiting.

**************

As soon as Cas takes care of the handful of demons on the 4th floor, he flies down a floor to see if he can aid the Winchesters.  He’s stuck; going no further than the doorway to an old conference room. 

Immediately he sees Sam against the back wall being tied to a chair.  He appears to be putting up a good fight, and there is one dead body at his feet, but he’s being overpowered.

Castiel then spots Dean slowly fighting his way around an old conference table towards his brother.  The demons seem to be doing a good job keeping Dean at bay, but he is making some headway, and Cas can see at least two dead in his friend’s wake.

The Winchesters seem to be holding their own for now, but it doesn’t look like their luck will last much longer.  The demons appear cocky; sure that they’ll win, since the angel can’t get to them.  A few close to the door start mocking Castiel.

************

Dean shoots the demon in front of him thinking that they might just make it out of this one.  Of course, it’d be a hell of a lot easier if Cas could join in.  He saw him appear in the doorway a few moments ago, which, hopefully means he was able to kill the ones upstairs. 

‘ _At least that’s something_ ,’ Dean thinks.  ‘ _Now, if only we could clear out this room_.’

He steps over the body at his feet, and just makes it around the table to the back wall, when he hears a pained grunt from Sam.  It’s hard to tell, with a small hoard in front of him, but it seems that some of the demons have begun attacking Sam, and are no longer content to just having him immobilized.

“Hold on Sammy!” Dean yells, as he more aggressively starts shoving past the crowd.  This in turn causes them to turn more of their attention towards him, hindering his process even further.  He struggles against them, calling to his brother, then starts shouting to Cas, forgetting that the angel can’t come in to help.

Cas, in his desperation to help his friends, briefly considers flying down to Baby, and bringing up more weapons, when a better thought comes to him.  He pushes away from the room, and flies back to the stairwell, landing in front of you this time.  Unlike Dean, you’re not startled by his sudden arrival.  You could sense him coming.

Castiel stoops down in front of you with hope in his eyes.  “You can help them.  Angel wards mean nothing to you.”

You shake your head, and he looks grief-stricken for a moment, but tries again.

“I know you’re on a mission, but those are my friends.  They do a lot of good.  You can’t let them die,” he implores.

“Yes I can,” you state softly.

His eyes harden, as he’s thrown off by your bold statement.  He takes a moment to compose himself, continuing to use sympathy.

“Please,” he begs.  His blue eyes watching you.

You sigh, and look at him kindly.  “I’m sorry.”  You have a job to do.

Castiel stands up suddenly, making you flinch.  His jaw clenches, and he glares at you.  His friends could be dying right now, and you’re denying him the help he needs.

“Why?” he bites out.

You look at him, refusing to be intimidated.

“Why!?!” he shouts at you, his wings unfurling behind him.

You scowl at him.  Angels know how imps work.  You don’t make the calls, you just follow the orders.  However, you can see that this angel means to do what he has to do, to get an answer out of you, so you decide to reply.  “I have to make sure Sam Winchester dies.”

Castiel is taken aback.  He didn’t see this coming, and is temporarily at a loss for words.  Instead, he turns and leaves; returning back to the doorway to check on Dean and Sam.  The smell of blood and gun smoke fills the air.  Dean has nearly made it to his brother, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to make it back out.  There are at least 10 demons still standing.

Castiel can see that Sam is bleeding, and it looks bad.  He makes a decision. 

Going back to the stairwell, he grabs you harshly by the elbow, yanking you up. 

You try to pull your arm away, but his grip is firm.  You yell at him instead, “You know I can’t help!  I’ve already told you the outcome!”

He roughly shakes his head, tightening his hold on you.  “I don’t care about the balance,” he stresses.  “I won’t watch my friends die.  Not when I have a way to save them.”

Before you can protest any further, he flies you down the 3rd floor hallway, landing in front of the conference room doors.  He only waits a moment before roughly pushing you into the room.  He steps as close to the room as he can, pinning you with his glare.

“NOW.  Go help my friends!” Castiel demands.

You stare at him, weighing your options, and absently rubbing your arm where a bruise is forming, despite the fact that you can heal yourself.  You can feel Castiel’s power and rage, and worry what would happen to you if he could enter the room.

Finally, you turn towards the mob at the back of the room.  With a flutter of wings, you end up next to Sam; Dean nearly within reach of him.  You place a hand on his forehead, healing him.  Then as quickly as you appeared, you move back by the doors before any of the demons can grab you.

With Sam healed, Dean can turn his attention back to the enemy. 

“Free him,” Castiel orders you.

You look in his direction, and barely shake your head “no”.  Without saying anything you start to fly off.  This isn’t your battle.  Castiel grabs you as soon as you cross the threshold.  He pulls you in to him, trying to rein in his temper, but only just manages to do so.  Shoving you back into the room, you stumble, but catch yourself. 

You glower at him again, angry at this unfair treatment, but rather than try to run again, you fly back, obeying.  You work quickly, wanting to escape the situation you’re in, and not wanting to fight off the surrounding creatures.

Sam thanks you as you frantically work the knots loose.  You pause for a second, looking up at him.  You feel conflicted.  You’re not supposed to be helping him.  The Fates will be sure to punish you for your disobedience, but the angel is more of a force to reckon with right now, so you get back to work.

As soon as he's free, you move back to the doors.  Sam pulls out his weapon, now able to help his brother with the fight.  A few of the demons, seeing the tables have turned, flee their vessels, leaving behind confused humans.

You start to leave the room again, watching Castiel warily; but now that his friends are alright (for the most part) he doesn’t even acknowledge you.  You stop, though, turning back into the room.  You rub at a few of the wards by the door.  When Castiel feels he can enter, he shoots past you.  You feel the wind from his wings.

You wait outside of the room feeling angry, and …. guilty?  You don’t know why you’re hanging around.  You’re in enough trouble, but for some reason you want to know how this particular battle ends.

When the fight is done, the boys emerge, a little worse for wear.  Dean passes you first, mumbling a thanks.   You don’t feel you did anything, but nod at his gratitude anyways.  Castiel just stares thru you, causing you to back up some, not sure if he plans on retaliating more.

Sam is the last one out, trailing behind the angel.  Castiel stops when Sam comes near you, causing Dean to stop and turn also.  Dean’s not sure why Cas is staring you down; he missed whatever went on between you two while trying to get to his brother.

Sam looks down at you, and smiles a tired but gracious smile.  “Thank-you for… back there.”

You frown slightly, torn between knowing he should be dead, and spotting another wound that needs healing.  Your compassion wins out as you reach forward to touch him.

Sam doesn’t look concerned, but Cas takes a bold step towards you with the intention of stopping you if need be.  Your gaze shifts to the angel, looking at him worriedly; your hand pausing in the air.  After a heartbeat or two you resume what you were doing, and gently touch the younger Winchester.  The wound on his arm heals, and he seems a little less worn down. 

He smiles at you again.  “Thank-you.” 

You look at him, forgetting for a moment that Castiel is still watching you.  You look confused for a second, then return his smile with a small one of your own.  You then flick a glance at Dean and Cas, and decide to fly off while you can, knowing the Fates won’t be happy with this outcome.


	7. Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avra has to face the Fates for failing to obey orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know only one Fate is mentioned in the show, and she uses a book, but I went for all 3 sisters, and chose to stick to more classic mythology, and mention the tapestry the Fates weave.
> 
>  
> 
> ************************

You decide to go straight to the sisters.  You know if you dally, any punishment they dish out will be worse than the initial one.  Besides, you’ve already decided to accept whatever fate they dole out, as long as it doesn’t end with them cutting your lifeline.

Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos pay no attention to you as you enter their inner chamber.  You wait for them to acknowledge your presence; and wait, and wait. 

A few imps have since entered, were given their assignments, and have left; yet you still remain.  You contemplate sneaking out, but dismiss that idea as cowardice.  That, and you know they will find you no matter where you go.

You let your eyes wander the room, watching the ever-changing tapestries on the walls.  You turn back to the sisters as you hear them rise.  You watch them move closer, your heart starts beating a little faster. 

You’ve never been on the receiving end of their anger before, and you hope that today is not that day either.

“Avra,” Atropos whispers.

“Loyal Avra,” Clothos says.

“We saw how the angel bullied you,” Atropos continues.  She moves closer, and to your left, stroking a finger across your cheek.

“You’ve always done as we ask,” Clothos considers as she moves to your right.

Lachesis bends down in front of you, her gaze hardens, making your pulse speed up even more.  Your palms are sweating, and you can only see the other two sisters out the corner of your eyes.  You don’t dare look at them with Lachesis staring at you.

She takes your chin in her hand, “You’ll finish your task.  We can be charitable.”  She grins, but it makes your blood turn to ice.

Atropos moves next to Lachesis, bending close too.  Lachesis drops her hand from you, and you turn to look at her sister.

“You have your second chance.  Take it.”

They move back, giving you room to leave, but you’re a bit too afraid to move right now.  At least until Clothos, who was still on your right, makes you jump by suddenly speaking in your ear, “Go.  Now.”

With that, you leave to find the Winchesters.  You have a job to finish.

************

You find them at a diner.  You waffle between waiting by their car, and going inside.  You don’t think the angry one would like either option, but you feel that he’d be more annoyed if you went inside, so you opt to go stand by their Impala.

You can see the two of them by one of the windows, eating, and you’re thankful that you don’t see the angel anywhere. 

You watch them for a moment, then turn away.  You consider the task at hand, thinking about how Sam was nice to you the last time you saw him.  In fact, he’s been nice to you every time you’ve seen him, or at least a lot nicer than the other one.  What is his name?  You try to think if you’ve ever been told, or if you’ve ever heard it said.  You know Sam’s name because of the Fates, but you don’t’ think you know his brother’s.

While you wait, you let your eyes wander over their ride.  You can see why they find it so appealing.  It’s a nice car. 

**********

“Shit.  Look who's here.” Dean nods towards the parking lot.

Sam turns and looks while Dean polishes off his pie.

With a mouthful of food he starts to stand up. “Let's go,” he says as he drops some money on the table, and wipes crumbs off his face.

**********

You start to walk around it, taking in all the details.  You even peer in the windows to see how the inside looks. 

 _‘Hmm, they keep it pretty clean,’_ you think appreciatively.

“HEY!  Get the hell away from my car!!”

Your head snaps up, and you see the boys coming across the parking lot towards you.

You back up, but not too much.  You can move faster than them if you need to get away, and you do have the car between you and them right now, so they’re not much of a threat.

Dean glares at you as he stomps across the pavement.  “What the hell is she doing here?  And was she really just checking out Baby!?” he asks Sam suspiciously.

Sam ignores his brother, and decides to take a less hostile approach.  He moves around to the passenger side, and smiles at you, leaning against the door.  “Hi, Avra.”

You had already moved further back when Sam had come closer, but his friendly demeanor makes you weary, so you back up another step.  “Umm… hi, Sam,” you reply cautiously.

Dean snorts out a chuckle.  “What?  Are you two friends now?”

Sam glances at Dean, “She did save me,” he reminds him.

Dean scoffs and rolls his eyes.  “The way Cas tells it, she only did it to save herself.”

“Yeah, well, I still appreciate it, so” he turns back to you, “thank you again.”

You’ve never really been so hesitant and uncertain before.  The boys watch to see if you’ll reply, but you stay silent, your brows furrowed.

Dean scoffs again, “Well, there you go, Sammy.  She doesn’t…”

“You’re welcome,” you say, cutting Dean off.  They both look taken aback that you said anything more.

Sam recovers first, pushing off of Baby.  “Alright.”  He nods to you, smiling, happy that you accepted his gratitude.  He opens his door, getting in.  Dean just eyes you suspiciously. 

Finally, he moves to get in too.  “Yeah, ok,” he mutters, starting the car.

Sam’s window is down so he gives you a little wave as Dean starts to peel out.

“Wait!”

Dean hits the brakes.  “What!?” he huffs as he yells across Sam.

“Can… can I get a ride?”

“No,” and he moves his foot to the gas.  You walk alongside the car since it’s not going but a few miles an hour this time.

“Please.”

Dean pushes the brakes again.  He sits there looking forward and you wait patiently.  From your angle you can’t see his brow furrow, and his jaw muscles clench, but Sam can. 

“She did help last time,” he says again.

Dean glares at him, then out the passenger window at you still standing there.  He shakes his head no, but grates out, “Fine.”

You smile, say a quick thanks and fly into the backseat.

Dean puts the car into drive, and looks at you via the rearview mirror.

“So, then… Where to, Miss Daisy.”

You hear his irritation, but ignore it, cheerfully answering, “Wherever you’re going.”

He stops the car again.  “No.”  He turns to Sam, “No.”  He turns around to face you.  “No.  No.  No.”

You simply look at him from the middle of the backseat.  You’re used to him being annoyed by you, and he doesn’t seem hostile, just upset.

“Ugh!” he yells, turning back around.  He lets out a deep sigh, and glares at his brother, who has a small smile playing on his face, knowing Dean won’t kick you out.  You could be useful to them. 

He growls again, but puts the car back into drive, and heads out.  This time, he doesn’t stop.


	8. Truth Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avra's getting along with the guys, but they're about to learn what her mission is.
> 
>  
> 
> ****************************

You travel with the brothers for the next couple of days; mainly spending your time sitting. 

You sit in the car as they drive.  You sit in the motels when they stop.  You sit in the booths when they eat.  For the most part, they don’t seem to live a very exciting life.  You know they have exciting moments, but the day-to-day is sort of… ho-hum.  Of course, it’s really no different from your life.  You usually spend your time observing others, making sure events go as they are supposed to; rarely intervening.

Currently you’re in another motel, with Dean stretched out watching t.v., and Sam perched on the edge of the other bed, doing research.  You sit by the window, looking out at nothing in particular.

“Are we boring you?” Dean quips as you try to stifle another yawn.

“Hmm?”

“You keep yawning.  So... are we boring you, princess?”

“No,” you reply earnestly, shaking your head.  “Would you mind if I took a nap in your car?”

“Yes, I mind.  And since when do you sleep?”

“Since always.”

Dean laughs, and Sam looks at you amused.  “Yeah, well, we’ve never seen you so much as close your eyes,” he retorts.

“She could sleep while we sleep,” Sam offers.  He’s such a diplomat, never really taking sides, and always trying to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

“Fine,” Dean concedes.  Sarcastically he asks you, “ ** _Do you_** sleep while we sleep?”

“No.”

“Ha!  Called it!” he smugly says to Sam, who just rolls his eyes.  “So, why my car?  Is a bed not good enough for you?  We have two, in case you didn’t notice.”  You don’t move.  He grunts, “Sammy, move.  Let her majesty lie down.”

“No,” you move to stop Sam.  “The Impala is fine.  It’s quieter, and I’d like to lay in the sunshine.  It’s warmer outside.”

Dean considers it.  It would be nice to be away from you, even for a moment.  He scoffs.  ‘ _Never should’ve given her a lift_ ,’ he thinks.

“Yeah, whatever,” and he goes back to his show, turning the volume up a bit more.

You smile, and are halfway out the door before he yells after you, “I better find Baby exactly how I left her!  Or you’re never getting inside again!!”

***********

On the next commercial break, Dean mutes the t.v., sits up and stretches.  “You find anything yet?”

Sam glances up, “No, not really.”  He rubs the back of his neck, then hunches back over the laptop.  “There’s a few sites that briefly mention what we saw, but none of them really provide any useful information.”

“Have you heard from Cas?  You’d think he’d have found something by now.”  Dean gets off the bed, and grabs a beer out of the fridge. 

“Hmm.. no.  The last time I saw him was when we asked him for help.”  Sam stops again to think of when that was.  “Uh, yeah, that was the day before we picked up Avra.” 

“Well we need to get his winged ass here to help.  I hate feeling like we’re chasing our tails.  We can’t keep going after all of these shit leads.”

“Are you looking for me to call him?  Cuz he doesn’t always listen to my prayers.”

Dean sighs.  “Yeah, fine.  I’ll do it.”  He sets his drink down, closes his eyes, and hangs his head slightly.  Looking solemn, he thinks, _“I pray to Castiel.  You need to get your winged ass down here.”_

A flutter of wings precedes Cas’s arrival, immediately followed by a sad sigh.  “I’m sorry, Sam.  I haven’t been able to help you.”

“Yeah, that’s…”

“Why not?” Dean interrupts.

Castiel turns to him, looking a bit dejected.  “There were a few other things I had to attend to in Heaven.  It was my intention to help, though.”

“Fine.  What can you do to help us now?  Sam’s been at it for a few days, and even Avra didn’t know what the hell we saw; not really.”

That got Castiel’s attention as he suddenly stands straighter.  “Avra?” he asks gruffly.    

“Yeah, she hitched a ride with us a couple of days ago.  Why?” Dean says suspiciously. 

“Where is she now?”

“He let her tap a nap in his car.”  Sam shakes his head, then jokingly adds, “Can’t believe he trusts her enough to let her be near Baby unsupervised.”

“I can’t believe you’d let her near your brother unsupervised,” Castiel snaps, staring at Dean.

“Woah. What the hell did I do?”

Both brothers look at the angel, waiting for him to explain his outburst.

“Her job is to see that Sam dies.”

“Hey.  She’s been with us for 3 days, and hasn’t done anything hostile,” Sam tells Cas, dismissing the notion that Avra is out to kill him.

“Yeah, I'm with Sammy.  Sure she gets on my nerves, but she hasn’t really done anything the past few days,” Dean adds.

“I see you don’t believe me, but she told me you were supposed to die when we fought those demons in the old office building,” he states, looking at Sam.

“What the hell, Cas!?” Dean yells.  “You’ve known for weeks that she was sent to kill my brother, and you’re just **_now_** telling us?!!!”

“I did **_not_** think you would offer her a ride!” he shouts back.

Castiel and Dean glare at each other, until Sam interrupts.  “We could just go and ask her.”  They turn and look at him.  “I mean, she is just feet away from us.”

“After you,” Dean sneers at Cas.

After a hostile moment, Castiel turns and walks out of the room, with the guys following behind.


	9. Repercussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tempers boil over as Avra is confronted.
> 
>  
> 
> ********************************

“Let me wake her,” Sam says.  “You two look like you’re out for blood.” 

Cas moves back to give Sam some room.  “I don’t know why you’d want to be nice to her,” he grumbles.

“I told you that she hasn’t done anything to make me distrust her.”

The angel huffs, while Dean crosses his arms, and gives his brother a look that yells: **_get on with it_!**

Sam raps on the window of the Impala.  You open your eyes and sit up as the younger Winchester opens the door.

He smiles at you.  “Hey.”

“Hi,” you reply warily.  You see Dean looking pissed, which isn’t really anything new, but the angel standing there, catches your attention.

You start to get out of the car, but your sudden movement puts Castiel on alert.  You see his wings appear behind him, and his angel blade materializes in his hand.  You freeze; your wings out too, ready to flee.

“Hey, Avra,” Sam says softly, trying to get your attention.  You glance at him for barely a second before looking back at the angel.  Your heart rate is doing double time, but you try to keep your face passive as you watch him.

“Ugh.  You’re not going to get anywhere. Move!”  Dean rudely pushes his brother out of the way.  “Did you come here to kill him?!?” he demands, pointing at Sam.

You shift your gaze to Dean, staring at him, but saying nothing.  Your typical m.o. because it feels safer that way.

“Dammit!  I’m not playing your games today!  Did you come here to kill him!?” he screams.

“Yes.”

He reaches forward before anyone can react, yanks you out of the Impala, and throws you down on the pavement.  Cas and Sam jump back a bit, stunned by Dean’s actions.

He stands there glaring down at you.   “You better get the fuck out of here before I change my mind and put a bullet in you!  And if I see you again, I won’t hesitate to kill you!”

With that, he slams the backseat door closed and storms off towards the hotel.  Sam hesitates.  He feels bad for you, but shocked that Castiel was right.  His gaze changes from sympathetic to hurt, and he turns away; following Dean back to the room.

You lay there, propped up on your elbow, watching the Winchesters walk away.  Castiel hovers over you; radiating anger.

You frown and sit up.  You rub your arm, which is slowly starting to heal from the road rash.  A few of your feathers are bent, and your hip hurts, but mostly you feel guilty.  You don’t know why you tried to befriend Sam knowing what your mission is, but you did, and now you have to deal with the consequences.

You look up at the angel.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you for them?!” he demands.

Trying your best to sound calm, you reply as you slowly start to get up, “You know I’m just following orders.  I don’t make the rules.”  He refuses to back up, leaving very little room between the two of you once you are standing.  It makes you uncomfortable, so you take a step back.  He grabs your arm, making you stay.  He bruises flesh that took days to heal the last time he held you like this.

You whimper from the pain; tears pricking your eyes. “You have to follow orders too.  Why treat me this way?  I didn’t hurt him.”

“Yet,” he states curtly.

Neither of you say anything more, until he tightens his grip, barely reining in his temper.

“Hurting me won’t change what The Fates ordered!”

He abruptly lets you go, and turns to leave.  “We’ll see about that.”

This time you grab at him, clutching his trench coat.  He turns back, gazing at you with his piercing blue eyes.  You flinch slightly at the hard look, but don’t let go.  “They didn’t give me a deadline, and they haven’t summoned me back,” you plead.

“And how long until they do!?  Do you think they’ll let this go on forever?  They’ll send someone else eventually,” he insists.  You don’t argue, knowing he’s right.

He drops his gaze to your hand on his coat.  “ **Let go** ,” he commands, and you do. 

“They’ll be angry.  I should go with you,” you whisper, you’re eyes dropping to look at the ground. 

“No.” and he flies off.

You’re slightly relieved that you don’t have to face them now, but you know the sisters will retaliate, and you can only hope that when they do, they overlook your part in all of this.

Not really having anywhere else to go, you sit down on one of the concrete parking curbs, not far from the Impala, and wait for the angel to return.

***********

Once back in the room, Dean starts throwing his stuff into his bag, pissed that he let you get so close. 

“I can’t fucking believe her!  And I just let her travel with us! Damn I’m getting sloppy!” he rants.

 Sam, meanwhile, takes his time, clearly upset about your betrayal, and taking it quite personally.

After everything is gathered up, they head over to the main office.  Dean’s a little calmer as he hands over the keys, and pays for the room.

“Let’s go,” he says, nudging his brother, who looks lost in his thoughts.

They see you sitting nearby, but neither says anything to you.  You barely glance in their direction before shifting your gaze back to the ground.  You absently rub your arm, which Dean notices as he pops open the trunk, flinging his bag inside.  Sammy sets his in, and climbs into the car as Dean slams the lid shut.  He smiles a little seeing that the noise made you jump, but you keep your eyes averted from his.

He starts to get in, but stops.  He knows he’s going to regret talking to you, but he does it anyways.

“Hey!” You look up.  “Where’d Cas go?”

You give him a perplexed look.

He sighs.  “The angel?” he asks annoyed.  He figures you’re smarter than this.

You frown slightly.  “Is that his name?”

“Yeah.  So where’d he go?”

“He went to talk to The Fates.”  You turn more towards him, and drop your hand from your other arm.  He sucks in a breath, seeing your arm scabbed over from where he threw you, and the handprint on the other arm from…

“Did Cas do that?”

You glance down at your arm, looking as dejected as Sam seems.  “Yes.”

Dean looks away, and sighs again.  Shaking his head, and mentally kicking himself, he looks back over to you.  “Get in the car.”

Your eyes snap up to him; surprised. 

“You heard me.  Get in the car,” he states gruffly.  He climbs in, starts up the car and waits.  He feels Sam looking at him questioningly.  “What?”

“Nothing.”

The back door opens and you climb in, sitting in the middle as you've been doing.

Sam doesn't say anything to you, which makes you sad. Dean, however, turns around to look at you.

“Two rules, Avra.  Break either one and you're out.  One,” and he holds up a finger, “you don't try to kill Sam.” You nod so he continues, “and Two, you don't say anything until we're ready to talk to you.”

“O.k.”

You see Sam give a small smile at your reply, which warms your heart, but Dean just frowns at you. “I'll let that one slide, but that's the only one you get. Got it?”  His expression shows he's quite serious.

This time you just nod.  He watches you for a moment, then turns back around, puts Baby in gear and drives off, hoping he won’t have to kill you.  You’re starting to grow on him.

 


	10. The Silent Treatment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avra tries to keep her promise, but Dean makes it hard.
> 
>  
> 
> **********************

The car ride to the next town is quiet.  Each in their own world, dealing with the fallout and processing what the earlier events meant.

Dean is deciding whether or not it’s worth trusting you at all at this point.  You’ve been mostly harmless as far as he’s concerned, but mostly harmless does not equal completely harmless. 

He glances at you in the rearview.  Your brow is furrowed, and you seem to be watching the scenery go by, but he can tell you’re not focused on anything.  Looking back at the road, he can’t help but notice that both you and Sam seem to have the same sad cloud over your heads. 

He remembers the wounds he saw on your arms before offering you a ride.  Part of him is happy, knowing you deserved it, but part of him feels guilty.  He even goes so far as to admit to himself, that he has a weakness for females and the downtrodden, both of which describe you right now. 

He lets out a rough sigh, worried that taking you in again could prove to be a fatal mistake.

Sam, meanwhile, is nursing feelings of betrayal.  He’s vouched for you time and time again, and was starting to view you as a friend; or at least as someone who could be a friend.  And to find out that you were a sleeper agent hurts more than he wants it to.

He reaches over, cranking up the volume.  Dean goes to say something about how the passenger doesn’t get to mess with the radio, but he welcomes the loud music.  It helps drown out his thoughts, which he suspects, is what Sammy is trying to do.

Dean glances in the rearview again, seeing you wrinkle your nose, and close your eyes.  He chuckles to himself, and nudges his brother.  Sam glances over, confused.  Dean nods towards the back, and Sam starts to turn away, wanting to ignore you, but Dean shouts over the song.  “I don’t think she likes our taste in music!”

Sam gives in and turns to look.  Sure enough, you’re now scowling at the back of Dean’s head, and are scrunched down in the seat, trying to block out some of the noise from the speakers.

“I think you’re right!  Maybe it’s the lyrics!”

“Whatever it is, crank it up more!”  Sam obliges, both of them smiling at your discomfort. 

You keep quiet, not that they could hear you anyways, but you do it because you promised to.   However, that doesn’t stop you from giving both Winchesters the evil eye before covering your ears, and slouching further down.

Somehow, you still manage to hear them laughing over all the racket.

*********

After a few loud songs, Dean turns the volume back down.  “You hungry?” he asks his brother.

“Yeah.  I could go for something.”

“Good.  I saw a sign a few miles back for a diner coming up.  Could mean pie,” and his eyes light up.

Sam chuckles and shakes his head.

You smile to yourself, happy that at least they can relax around you, even if you’re not their favorite person right now.

*********

Walking into the diner allows you time to stretch your legs, and enjoy a bit of silence.

Dean pushes open the door, and the two of you trail in after. 

“Grab us a table near the window,” he tells you. 

You frown, but say nothing.

“We’re going to the bathroom,” he retorts, answering your questioning look.

You pick a table nearby, as the boys make a beeline past the display of pies, heading to the restrooms.

*********

On the way back to the table, Sam stops his brother.  He has to get one thing off his chest.  Dean looks at him, “What’s up?  I’m starving, let’s go eat.”

“Why’d you let her get back in?  I, mean, why take the risk?  I thought you didn’t like her.”  He searches his brother’s face for any clue on what he was thinking.

Dean sighs, and runs a hand thru his hair.  “I don’t know.”  He looks around for a moment, not really knowing what he’ll say until he does.  “Why didn’t Cas kill her if she was such a threat?  Hmm?  He just left her there… with a bruise on her arm.”  He places a hand on Sam’s shoulder.  “Look, I’m not saying I made the right decision, but you know I’ll take her out before she tries anything.”

“I’m not really concerned about that.  I just… I don’t know.  It was just a surprise that you gave in so quickly,” and he moves towards the table.

“Woah.  I did **_not_** cave,” Dean protests following his brother.  “You saw how she looked.  I couldn’t just leave her there.”

Sam grins at Dean.  “Yeah, she looked like a lost puppy.”  He laughs at him.  “But I didn’t take you as the type to take in strays.  I thought that was more of a me thing.”

Dean starts to make some snarky quip, but stops himself as Sam slides into the booth next to you.  He stands there glaring at the two of you.  You’re not even sure what you’ve done, but you let it go once you see the big grin on Sam’s face. 

A waitress comes up around Dean, slapping some menus on the table, making Dean slink into his side of the booth.  He sulks for just a moment, while she lists the specials and asks for their drink order, then he flashes her his patented grin.  She looks at him suspiciously for a moment, thinking she could be his mom, but then softens her stance and smiles back at him. 

You scoff, thinking,  _“It doesn’t matter their age, does it?  They all just swoon over him.”_

*********

“You know,” Dean nods towards you, but talks to his brother, who’s just finishing off a burger, “I kinda like that she’s quiet again.”  He grins, scooping a piece of pie into his mouth; watching your reaction out of the corner of his eye.

You know he’s goading you, so you do your best to ignore him, choosing to look out the window instead.  

“Remember when she didn’t talk to us at all?  We should go back to that. It was nice.”  He lets out a contented sigh, eating the last bit of his pie.  Smiling, he folds his arms behind his head, leans back and looks up at the ceiling.  “Yep, those were good times.”

You glare at him across the table, then turn away again; biting your tongue.

He’s been enjoying this too much; seeing how far he can push you before you break rule #2.  Neither him, nor Sam, are really worried about you breaking the first one right now.  They figure if you had wanted Sammy dead, you’d have tried something before now.

Dean sits forward again, dropping his arms, and smiling in your direction.  You look at him, rolling your eyes, but continue to watch him suspiciously.

“You going to eat that?” he asks as he slides your plate of pancakes away from you.

You frown at him, reaching for your plate back.  He knocks your hand away, and shovels half a pancake into his mouth.  “No?  Mind if I have them then?” he mumbles thru his ill-gotten food.

You narrow your eyes, glaring at him. 

“I wouldn’t anger her too much,” Sam warns gently.

“What’s she gonna do?  She doesn’t seem so tough.  And I doubt me eating these is throwing off the balance.  Right?” he questions you.

You reach for your plate again, but he pulls it back.  Keeping his eyes locked onto yours, he slowly engulfs the other half of the pancake.

You’re taken aback by his brazenness, but recover quickly.  “Give me back my food,” you spit out.

“tsk, tsk.  Seems you broke the second rule, and… nope.”   Dean proceeds to cut a chunk out of the remaining pancake.

You look to Sam for some support, but he just shrugs a shoulder, and puts his hands up indicating that he’s not getting involved.

Dean dips the piece into some syrup, and puts the bite into his mouth.  “Mmm,” he says mockingly.

Your jaw is clenched; your eyes burning holes into him, making him wonder if he’s taken things too far.  Suddenly, you smile, throwing him off balance.  There’s a sound of wings, and you’re gone.

Moving faster than either Winchester can see, you climb over Sam, and come around Dean’s side, standing next to him.

Anticipating your next move, Dean pulls the plate in close to him; protecting it from all fronts.  However, he’s not fast enough, and you manage to pull it out of his grasp. 

He feels the plate leave his hand, and sees you standing next to him with a huge grin on your face. 

You turn away from him with your prize only to smack into a wall, knocking your plate from your grip.  You back up half a step, not sure what happened, only to see an angel scowling at you, with syrup dripping down his trench coat, and your remaining pancake and plate laying at his feet.  Your eyes go wide, and you back up again, only to tumble into the booth next to Dean. 

“You should’ve just given it back to her,” Sam quips.

You try to back further away from Castiel, shoving Dean towards the window, who starts laughing at the situation when he hears you mutter, “I only got to eat one.  Jerk.”


	11. On The Road Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a quick bite, the trio meet back up with Castiel, and head back out. 
> 
>  
> 
> ********************************************

“I am soooo sorry! I…”

“It’s fine,” Cas insists gruffly.  He uses his grace to clean off his coat, and slides in next to Sam, who’s moved over for him.

You straighten up some, but are still leaning on Dean.  You’re unsure of the angel’s mood, and don’t wish to offend him any further.  Dean pushes you off of him gently.  You frown, but give him some space.

Since the angel’s not yelling or attacking you, you risk talking to him.  “Did.. did you see The Fates?”

“Yeah, how’d that go?” Dean’s interest is peeked.  All eyes go to Castiel.

He shifts under their gaze, and mutters, “It’s taken care of.”

“That’s it?  You just went and told them to lay off my brother so they were like ‘sure, anything you say’.  Is that how it went down?”  Dean laughs and shakes his head in disbelief.

“Not quite.  But it is taken care of.”

“They’ll retaliate,” you whisper.  Clearing your throat, you speak up, “They might have conceded for now, but they are used to getting their way.  They won’t let this stand.  I don’t know what you said to them, but they’ll retaliate.”

“You’re starting to repeat yourself, Avra,” Dean chimes in.

You sneer at him, but turn your attention back to Castiel.  “What did you say to them?”

“I made them see reason.  You won’t be punished since they blame me for interfering, but Sam is safe.”

You stare at him for a moment, unsure if he’s telling the truth.  You know there has to be more to it than that, but decide to drop it for now.  “Thank you.”

He glares at you, “I didn’t do it for you.  I did it for my friends.”

“Of course,” you murmur.

“Well, whatever you did.  Thanks, Cas.”  Sam claps a hand on his shoulder, beaming a smile at him.

Castiel can’t help himself.  He returns a small smile to his friend.  “You’re welcome.”

“Ugh.   Alright, enough with the mushy stuff, let’s head out.  You can confess what you did later.”

Dean gets the waitress’s attention.  She heads over with the bill, but seems uncertain when she notices an additional person at the table.  “Will he be wanting something too?”

“No, we’re done,” Dean says with a smile, handing the woman some money and... a napkin?  “This should cover it, right?”

“Uh, yes.  I’ll go get you your change.”

“No need.”

The waitress breaks into a grin, as the group gets up to leave.  “Thank-you.”

Dean gives her a small wave as they exit.

You look questioningly at Sam, then Dean, as you cross the parking lot.  Sam takes the hint, and interrogates his brother.  “So… how much of a tip did you give her?”

“Just a few dollars.”

“Then why did she seem so happy?”

“I slipped her a phone number.”

“Is that what the napkin was about?” you ask.

“Yeah.”  He pulls out his keys, unlocking the Impala.

“You gave her your number?  Isn’t she a little old for you?” Sam questions as everyone gets in.

“I gave her someone’s number.”

“Who’s?”  Sam waits for an answer as Dean starts the car, and backs out of the lot.

“Bobby’s.”

“What? Why?”

“Why not?  She seemed nice, and it wouldn’t hurt Bobby to talk to someone of the opposite sex once in a while.”

“You’re an ass,” you reply, feeling a little crowded in the backseat.

“You **are** often rude,” Cas chimes in.

“Hey!  What is this, ‘gang up on Dean day’?  I did a good deed.”

“No, you didn’t,” you say, sitting back.

“Whatever.”

“She would know,” Sam adds.  “And I have to agree with both of them.  You’re a rude ass.”

“Shut up and just give me the directions.”

You chuckle as the boys continue bantering up front.  You watch the scenery pass by, and catch a glimpse of tan reflecting in the window.  You sigh, and turn to Castiel.

You keep your voice low, hoping only the angel will hear you.  It helps that the radio is on.

“What really happened?”  Your brown eyes meet his cerulean eyes.  He doesn’t say anything right away, seeming to take his time, choosing his words.

With a sigh, he answers, his voice low, matching your volume, “I threatened them.”

A frightened look passes over your face; you go to tell him how dangerous that was, but he continues.

“I told them that they were not the only ones with powers.  And that I wouldn’t think twice to protect my friends.”  He pauses for a second.  “They reminded me that they held my fate in their hands as well as those around me.”  His jaw clenches as he looks straight ahead.  “I didn’t take their veiled-threat well, and might have damaged a small part of the tapestry, and sent an imp or two scurrying from the room.”

You can’t help but chuckle.  He looks at you, and his expression softens a little.

“You are not out of danger, though.  You are right.  They will seek revenge, but they will keep at bay for now.  I convinced them that Sam dying had no effect on the balance before, and wouldn’t likely restore it this time.  They accepted my argument… for now.”

You look forward, catching Dean’s eyes in the rearview, and look away.   Wondering how much he heard, you go back to looking out of the window, trying not to worry.  You know, though, that you can’t outrun your fate, the sisters will come for their pound of flesh.


	12. Tentative Truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avra is slowly breaking down Castiel's walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. I do like Bewitched
> 
>  
> 
> *********************************

You’re sitting in a hotel room… again.  You moved one of the chairs so you can look out the window.  The boys checked in an hour ago, and then left, which meant you and Castiel were together…. alone.

He made you nervous, but at least he wasn’t pacing anymore.  When everyone was first in the room, that’s all he did.  Thankfully, Dean sat him down on the edge of the bed, and turned on the t.v.

Cas complained at first, saying it was a waste of time, but Dean shot back that it was a waste of time having to always explain cultural references to him.  So he was to sit there and learn some.

You glance over to see what he’s watching now.  You wait a few seconds for a commercial to finish, then see that it’s **_Bewitched_**.  You laugh, causing him to look over with a frown.

“I didn’t pick the channel.”

“I know, but really?”

“What?”

“Compared to our actual lives, doesn’t this show seem ridiculous to you?  I mean, I know it’s a classic to the humans, but…”

He huffs, and mutes the t.v. “But what?”

You shake your head, and turn to him.  “I get why they like this show.  It’s funny, and the actors were good, but… well… Look, only Endora acts sort-of like a witch.  Samantha makes witches seem safe.  Imagine all the people who were blindsided when they met a real witch.  How unprepared they were.”

“I don’t think the purpose of this show was to teach humans about witches.”

“I know.  I just think it would’ve been better if perhaps they had learned.  Might’ve saved some lives,” you mutter, turning back to the window.

Cas wrinkles his brow, taking in what you said.  “From what I’ve seen, I don’t think it would’ve helped.  Humans like to ignore reality.  Many seem to find it inconvenient.  At least that’s how it seems.”

Without looking at him, you reply, “Yeah, I suppose.  Makes my work easier, I guess.  I can work in plain sight, and most of them ignore me.”

You hear him unmute the television, going back to his show.  You sit forward some and sigh.  At least it’s still daytime.  Normally, when the guys rent a room, it’s nightfall.  You take in the view, noticing a bench on the other side of the parking lot.  You push the window open some, and listen. 

Castiel watches you without you realizing it.

Suddenly you turn around, startling him.  You have a smile on your face; an impish gleam in your eyes.

“I think there’s a park over there.  It’s warm out, might be some ducks to feed.  Have you ever done that?  Fed ducks.  They come right up to you quacking away.”

He looks at you like you’ve hit your head. 

“Fine,” you say with a shrug.  “Don’t come with me.” 

He sees your wings come out, and off you fly.  He stares for a moment at where you were.  He clicks off the t.v., looking confused, but you seemed happy, and his curiosity is getting the better of him.  After a moment of uncertainty, he follows.

He finds you squatting by the edge of a pond, pulling grass and trying to offer it to the ducks nearby, who mostly ignore you.

You pout.  Looking up only when his shadow crosses into your line of vision.  He’s careful not to step on your tail, which you move out of the way.  You look back across the water.

“They eat grass, but it’s abundant so it’s not enough to entice them to come over.”  Standing up you look at him again.  “They like bread, but I hear it’s not the best to feed them.  Maybe some cereal with oats, or just oatmeal would work.”

“I’ll be right back.”

You pick a few feathers off of the ground, and stroll over to a nearby bench to wait.  You absently play with the feathers as you soak in the sun, your eyes closed.  You open them when you hear a few ducks close by.

“We’ll have some food for you in a bit.  Patience,” you chide.

You glance down, looking at what’s in your lap.  You’ve always loved the bit of blue in the Mallard’s wings, admiring the first feather.  You look at the next one, not quite sure what bird it’s from, but it’s got a light green in it.  One is yours; a small one that’s gray.  It’s soft and downy, and you run it thru your fingers.  The last one is the largest, and you pick it up by the quill, turning it in the light.  It’s shiny, and even though it’s black, you see different colors where the sunshine hits it; almost like an oil slick. 

You straighten a few of the kinks out, when you hear a familiar sound.  Glancing up, you see Cas holding one canister of oatmeal, a box of flavored oatmeal, and a box of Oats and Honey.  You chuckle at him, forgetting how he’s treated you in the past. 

“Sorry,” he starts, “I wasn’t sure what was the best kind.”  His air of innocence leaves as quickly as it came.  He frowns at you.  “That’s **my** feather.”

He drops the packages next to you on the bench, and pulls his feather out of your hand, pushing it into one of his coat pockets.

You glare at him.  “I didn’t steal it.  It was on the ground, and if you’re just going to just stuff in a pocket can I have it back?!”

“No.”  His stare is icy.

“You’re ruining it.”

“I have more.”

You turn away from him.  Your jaw clenching.  _What the hell’s his problem?_

You seethe for a few moments until the soft sound of quacking reminds you why you’re there.  You let your annoyance dissipate.  You look up at the angel, who looks uncomfortable, not knowing what he should do next.  You move the boxes out of his way.

“Sit.”

He shifts his gaze back to you, which, while no longer cold, still isn’t friendly.

“Please, sit.”

He seems to contemplate this for a moment, then does as you asked.  You had let the wind blow the feathers off of your lap, but bend and pick one back up.

“Here, we can trade,” you say, offering Castiel a small gray feather. 

He stares at the token in your hand, then looks at your eyes, seeing that you don’t look angry anymore.

You watch him with patience in your brown eyes, letting him take his time. 

He glances slightly behind you, off to the side, then meets your gaze again.

“This is your feather.”  He seems uncertain.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have to pull one out for me.”  He sounds offended.

“I didn’t,” you clarify.  “Like yours, mine was on the ground.  I simply picked it up.”

He watches you, wondering what your ulterior motive is.   His brows crease as he studies you.  Finally he sighs; reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the rumpled feather.  Using his grace, he puts it back to rights, and hands it to you.

“Thank-you,” you whisper.  

He doesn’t take the one you are offering, so you carefully place it on his leg.  He looks at it for a moment, then puts it in the same pocket he pulled his out of. 

You roll your eyes, and pin his feather down with the box of flavored oatmeal.  Opening up the canister of quik oats, you reach in and grab a small handful. You turn to Cas, who’s watching you intently.

You smile, asking for his hand.

“Why?”

“Just open your hand, please.  Palm up.”

He seems skeptical, but does it.  You shake some oats into his hand.  You gesture towards the pond.  A few ducks are already, tentatively, coming out of the water; drawn by the sound of the oatmeal shaking in the container.

You slide off the bench, slowly moving towards them, then squat down, extending your hand.  You wait.  Cas watches the wind blow thru your feathers, and ruffle your hair.  He notices how still you are, and sees that your patience pays off when two ducks come up and nibble at what’s in your hand.  You turn around, beaming a smile at him.  You motion with your head for him to come join you.

He follows your lead.  Squatting close to you, hand outstretched.  After a few moments, a duck takes the oats of out his palm, and just like you, a grin stretches across his face.  You laugh, and add more oats to you hand.

At first he feels defensive, but after a brief second, he realizes that you weren’t laughing at him.

He studies you for a moment, puzzled by you.  You’re so carefree in this moment that he has a hard time associating you with the person who defied helping him in the stairwell.  The one came to see his friend die.

Suddenly he winces, as a duck nips his fingers.  He pulls his hand back.  “I’m out of food.”

You turn and shake some more into his hand.

The two of you stay this way until the quik oats, cereal and ducks are gone. 


	13. Just Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean or Cas or neither?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this series I had a clear relationship in mind, but as I've written it, it's seemed to swing back and forth between Dean and Cas. At one point, I thought it might go to Sam. It's funny how a story takes on a life of it's own.
> 
>  
> 
> ***********************************************

You and Cas walk into the hotel room.  Sam is at the table working on his laptop, and Dean is sprawled out on the bed flipping thru channels on the t.v.

They both look up as you enter.

“What’s up with the oatmeal?” Sam questions.

“Hmm?  Oh, Castiel got it for the ducks, but I didn’t think they’d like the packets.  Too much sugar.”

“It’s ‘Castiel’ now is it?” Dean says, sitting up.  “Are we all friends with the imp now?”

“We just fed ducks,” Cas mumbles.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Dean smirks.  The angel glares at him.  Dean ignores it, chuckling.  “You sure do know how to bring everyone to your side, don’t you?  Even when you have a hit out on one of us.”

“I haven’t tried to kill anyone yet,” you jest.

“Yet.” Cas growls.

“Hey, I thought we were friends now,” Sam jumps in.   Castiel doesn’t say anything.  He just moves around you, to sit on one of the beds.

You set the box of oatmeal packets down by Sam, and sit next to him.

There’s tension in the air now, so you turn away from Dean and Cas, giving Sam your attention.  “What’re you working on?”

Sam starts to tell you about the lead they found, but Dean interrupts.  “Anyone hungry?”

“Yeah, I could go for some food,” Sam agrees.  “Avra?”

You nod.

Clapping his hands together, Dean jumps up.  “Alright, let’s go for a meal run.”  He pats Castiel on the shoulder as he grabs his keys and leaves; the angel following behind.

*************

“That’ll be $23.47,” the cashier says.

Dean pulls two 20s out his wallet.  He pauses, looking at Cas.  “You got any smaller bills in that coat of yours?”

Castiel knows he doesn’t but he checks anyways.  A small feather floats down to the ground as he digs in his pockets.  Dean picks it up before Cas even registers what he has.

“Nice.  Whose is this?”

The angel takes it back, putting it into his pocket.  “No, I don’t have any smaller bills,” he grits out.

Dean ignores the attitude, for now.  “Oh well.”  Dean turns to the cashier, “Here.”

After pocketing his change, he moves to the side to wait for their order.

“Gonna answer me on the feather, or do I have to guess?”

The angel chooses the stoic route; giving away nothing.

Sighing, Dean looks his friend over.  “Alright.  Be difficult, but you know I’m going to find out anyways.”

No reply.

“Wild guess here, but the feather belongs to Avra.  Am I right?”

Cas glares at him.

“Mmm.  Hit the nail on the head, did I?”  A huge grin spreads across Dean’s face.  “So what?  Are you two going steady now?”

“What do you mean?” Castiel asks cautiously.

“You two exchanged feathers.  I assume that’s the angel equivalent of swapping class rings or something similar.”

“Class rings?”

“Yeah, in high school you buy a… Look never mind.”

“We did not exchange any rings.”  Cas says, confusion clearly stamped on his face.

“I know that,” Dean huffs, getting irritated at having to spell everything out.  “You exchanged feathers, right?  I saw the big black feather she was holding when you two came back from whatever you were doing.”

“Feeding ducks,” the angel offers.

“Yeah, fine. ‘Feeding ducks’.”

“Why do you say it that way?  It’s what we were doing.”

Dean chuckles.  “I’m not judging, just wondering if you’re dating now.  Exchanging feathers has to be some kind of angel ritual, right?”

“Avra’s an imp, not an angel.”

“Whatever, man.  Stop changing the subject.  You two dating or not?”

“Winchester,” the cashier calls.

Dean sighs and grabs his order.  Turning to Castiel he states, “I’m not dropping this.  I expect an answer.”

Cas takes some of the food from Dean, helping to carry it to the car.

He sighs getting in, knowing Dean is waiting for a response.  “We don’t have any dating rituals.  I am soldier.  Made solely for fighting in God’s wars.  We have no use for procreation.  God created us.”

“Yeah, fine.  But you know what dating is, and you **can** procreate.  Just answer the damn question.”

“No.  We are not dating.”

Dean puts the car in gear, driving off.  “Well, why the hell not?  She’s not bad looking.  Kinda cute, really.  But I guess you don’t really notice that.”  He gives the angel a sideway glance.  “Maybe you should start.”

*************

“Grubs here!” Dean announces, walking thru the door.  Both you and Sam jump up to help divvy up the food.

Castiel frowns at you.  You glance up, meeting his gaze with a perplexed look.

“You don’t need to eat their food, so why do you?”

“She’s welcome to it,” Dean replies.

“I didn’t mean it to sound harsh.  Imps don’t need to eat human food, yet she does.”

“Maybe she has better taste buds than you,” Sam replies with a smile.

“My taste buds are superior to yours,” Castiel states matter-of-factly.

“You don’t know what you’re missing.  And more for us,” Dean mumbles thru the bite he just took.

“I like human food.  They have such a variety.”  You hold out some food to Castiel who just shakes his head no.  You shrug, and pop it into your mouth.

Grabbing your share, you sit on one of the beds near the headboard.  Sam moves to the other bed, doing the same.  Dean catches Cas’s eye, and gives him a look telling the angel to choose who to sit by. 

Castiel hesitates, so Dean motions for him to sit next to you.  He frowns, and moves next to Sam instead; tucking his coat under him as he sits down.  Dean sighs and takes the spot next to you. 

 _His loss_ , Dean thinks.


	14. Back To Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avra's been summoned by The Fates, and given some tasks to do.
> 
>  
> 
> *************************************

“Where’s Avra?” Castiel questions. 

“Don’t know,” Sam shrugs.  “She took off not long after you did.”

“Why?”

“Sorry, she didn’t say.”

Castiel frowns.  “Where’s Dean?”

“He went around the back side to see if there was another way in.  He told me to wait.  We haven’t seen any activity yet, but you never know.”

“He shouldn’t’ve gone by himself.  This nest isn’t small,” Castiel points out.

“That’s what I said, but you try to tell him what to do.  You know how he listens,” Sam jokes.

The two fall into silence while they wait for Dean to return.

**********

Moving cautiously through the corn, Dean circles behind the barn _.  Of course it had to be a barn_ , he thinks, rolling his eyes.  _Not very original._

Dean can only hope their luck doesn’t run out anytime soon.  To find a nest so easily, and not have been spotted yet, seems too good to be true.

He makes it to the back without encountering anyone or anything.  He still doesn’t see another way in, which is also good.  No way in, means no way out.  If him and Sam go through the front, no one should be able to escape. 

“We can just take them all out in one go,” Dean mumbles.

He feels a breeze to his left; the corn rustles.  “Won’t work,” you say sitting on top of an old piece of farm equipment.

“What?  Are you psychic now?”

“No, but I can tell how many are in there.  Just you and Sam to stop them all?”

“We’ve taken on more dangerous vampire nests than this one.  We can handle ourselves, but thanks for the concern,” he says insincerely.  He moves past you, and keeps circling around the barn. 

As he rounds the corner, he can make out Sam and Castiel across the street in the failing light; then he sees you again.  You’re standing by a small shack just ahead of him.

“Great,” he whispers.  “You’ve gone back to creepily watching us?”

“Sort of.”

“Well, that clears things up,” he adds sarcastically.

“I’m not here on business, but if you need help…”

“I’m good.  We’ve got this.  Even have Cas here to lend a hand,” Dean points out.

You just shrug and back up some, indicating that you won’t interfere.

“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” he mutters, heading over to the other two. 

You hang back wondering if you’ve done something to offend Dean.  He seems a little cross with you. 

Cas and Sam don’t appear to notice you, so you stay where you are and watch.  You can tell that they seem to be deliberating on what their next move should be.  While they discuss, you go over your earlier interaction with The Fates.

It had surprised you when you were summoned.  You went, but you were scared.  The last time you had seen them was before Castiel threatened them. 

You’re not stupid.  You know they will retaliate, you just don’t know when, and for as ancient as they are, they can afford to bide their time.

Thankfully the meeting went no differently than any other time you’ve been to see them.  Clotho sat in the middle, weaving threads together, while Lachesis gave orders to the imps that arrived.  Atropos stood nearby, studying the tapestry, and giving Lachesis the names of people to be taken care of.

You waited your turn.  Atropos whispered to Lachesis, who turned to you.  You stood there, with baited breath, sure their scorn would be directed at you, but Lachesis only gave you a slip of paper.  You looked at what was written there, seeing the names of some fellow imps.

“Am I to remove them?” you asked cautiously.

“No,” Lachesis reassured.  “You are to clean up some of their blunders.  There,” she pointed to the paper, “that is what you are to do,” and additional words appeared.

You nodded, and turned to leave.  They had already moved on to their next task. 

You were troubled, thinking there should’ve been more, but were thankful that today went smoothly.

Currently, the list is in your pocket.  You know you shouldn’t put it off, but you wanted to see the Winchesters before getting to work. 

Your interaction with Dean wasn’t exactly friendly, but you stick around for a bit.  You leave, though, before Sam, Cas and Dean finish eradicating the nest of vampire.  You stay only long enough to know, that besides a few minor injuries, they’ll be ok.

**********

“I think that’s everybody,” Dean says, wiping some blood off of his face.  “It’s not like they really have anywhere to hide in here.”

Sam looks around, while Castiel just stands there glaring at a dead vampire, his brows furrowed. 

“Yeah, I think that’s it.  No one else is jumping out to attack us,” Sam quips.

Dean passes by Cas, patting him on the back.  “I think he’s dead, you can stop staring at him.”

Castiel looks up.  “Did you know Avra was here?”

Sam shakes his head, but Dean answers, “Yeah.  She was out back doing her imp-thing.”

Both Sam and Cas give Dean a questioning look.  “You know,” he explains, “where she just stops by to watch us.  She was back to doing that.  Why?”

“I felt her leave.”

“Maybe she got tired of hanging out with us.  Though, who’d get tired of us, I don’t know.”  Dean grins.  “Anyway, let’s go.  I need to take a shower, get something to eat, and grab a beer, in that order.”

**********

The next time you see the Winchesters or their angel, nearly three weeks have passed.  You’re exhausted, and showing it.

Everyone is just piling back into the car after stopping at a gas station.  Castiel feels your arrival, but the others don’t.

“Holy Hell!” Dean yells, seeing you materialize in the back seat. 

Sam jumps, and turns around to see what has Dean freaked out.  He calms down faster than his brother when he sees that it’s just you.  “Hey Avra,” he says with a smile.

“Yeah, hi, I guess.  Next time give a guy some warning though,” Dean huffs.

You give them both a small wave, and a weak, “Hi.”

Both Winchesters turn back around.  Dean starts up the car, pulling out onto the road.  He glances in the rearview, seeing you slumped down in the seat.  _She could use a nap_ , he thinks.

Castiel, being in the back, takes the time to study you.  He looks worried, but you barely register his gaze on you.  He sees the dark circles under your eyes, how your tail hangs limply down by your leg, and the state of your feathers; things the others wouldn’t be able to notice.

No one really says anything until everyone piles out of the car a few blocks down the road.

Sam nods towards the hotel.  “This is home sweet home for the next few days… we hope.”

You trudge after the boys, with Castiel hovering behind you.

As soon as you are all settled, Dean brings up the elephant in the room.  “So, Avra?  Where have you been?  Cuz Cas thinks you went back to The Fates.”

“I did.”

Everyone suddenly seems to be on alert, but you don’t notice, as a yawn slips past your lips.

“Is Sam a target again?” Castiel demands. 

“Hmm?  I don’t know.”

“Then what the hell have you been doing!?” Dean demands, “cuz, no offense, but you look like shit.”

“Have I done something wrong?” you ask, looking around the room.

Sam, the great diffusor that he his, jumps in before the other two can keep interrogating you.  “We were just worried when you took off.  You’ve been gone for a while now, and we don’t really know what that means.”

You look perplexed for a moment, not sure how to reply.  “I… I had some jobs to do.  I… Was I supposed to let you know?”

“Yeah, a head’s up would’ve been nice,” Dean gripes.

“Oh… I …” you’re at a loss for words.   Tentatively you ask, “Did you miss me, or are you just worried I’ve been assigned to eliminate Sam again?  I don’t understand this situation.”

“Both.  What the hell does it matter?  Next time, just say you’re taking off for a few days,” Dean complains.

A smile slowly spreads across your face.  “You missed me?”

“No.” Dean grumbles, but Sam nods.

“You too?” you ask the quiet angel.

Castiel’s stance seems all business, and your smile falters.  “I just want to know if you’re a threat again or not.  What jobs did The Fates give you?”   

“Umm… they just asked me to clean up a few messes some of the others created.  Sam’s name wasn’t even mentioned.”

No one says anything, but the tension in the room is thick.  The guys look at you as if you’re a specimen under glass.

You yawn again.  You tried to stifle it, but it didn’t work.   “May I go sleep in your car, Dean?  You can continue questioning me later if you wish.”

“Yeah, fine,” he mutters.

You give him a small smile, your eyes glassy, and barely staying open.  With a flutter of wings, you disappear.

“Did you see how tired she looks?  What do you think they’ve been making her do?” Dean worries.

“I don’t know, but I want what she said to be the truth,” Sam replies.

“Yeah, me too,” Dean admits.  “Cas?  What do you think?  You’re being awfully quiet?”

He doesn’t say anything.  He seems to be searching for the right words.

A wicked grin spreads across Dean’s face.  “Tongue-tied because you’re girlfriend came back, but you didn’t get to spend any alone time together?” he mocks.

Cas scowls at his friend.  “She’s not my girlfriend,” he insists.  His body language goes from defensive to contemplating.  “I do think she’s telling the truth, though.  However, that doesn’t mean The Fates don’t still have something planned.  They just haven’t divulged what that is to Avra.”


	15. Preparing For The Inevitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry for the month long break... I have been engrossed in Fallout 4 and started a fanfic on that, but don't worry, I didn't forget this one, I just wasn't sure where to go with it.) 
> 
> Castiel wants to find a way to protect Sam from The Fates. He elicits your help, but doesn't like what you have to say.
> 
>  
> 
> ***************************************************

“Rock, paper, scissors, for who gets to wake her up?” Dean jokes.

Sam opens one eye, and looks at his brother.  “Not it,” he mutters before closing his eye again, and rolling over on the bed.

“You’re just afraid you’d lose.  Cas?”  Dean turns to the angel, a fist hovering over his open palm ready to play Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Castiel shakes his head.  “I’ll do it,” he states gruffly, and walks to the door.

Dean shrugs, dropping his hands.  “Well that was too easy.”  He smiles, and sits on the bed, turning the t.v. on.

********

Castiel approaches the Impala.  He glances into the windows as he circles the car.  When he gets to the door where your feet are, he pauses, taking a moment to watch you.  He knows the boys have chastised him about watching them while they sleep, but he doesn’t think you’d lecture him too.

He frowns, maybe you would lecture him, he thinks, but no.  You’ve been nothing but kind to him, even when’s treated you poorly.

He sighs and opens the back door.  You turn your head towards the noise, and barely open your eyes.  “Castiel?”

“Sam and Dean sent me out here to wake you,” he states.

You nod your head, sitting up.  “How long was I sleeping for?” you ask with a yawn.

“Nearly two hours.  Sam wanted to let you sleep longer, but Dean said he was in need of his car.”

“Okay,” you yawn again.  There are still dark smudges under your eyes, but they are less pronounced, and your feathers seem to be in much better shape.

Castiel moves out of your way as you climb out of Baby.  You take a moment to stretch while he comments on Dean’s desire to wake you.  “I offered to transport him to his destination, rather than disturb you.  I pointed out that while Imps don’t need to sleep but a few hours every 4 or 5 days, you looked exhausted.  He seemed less than concerned for your welfare,” he adds with a scowl.

You smile at him, then close the car door.  “I feel better.  Thank-you, Castiel.”

He feels a little flustered, not sure whether or not he wishes to return the smile.  Instead, he opts to stand there awkwardly.

You frown slightly at him.  “Is everything okay?” you ask. 

“No.”

“Is this because I’m back in contact with The Fates?  I can’t ignore them.  I was created to help them.”

“I know.”  Cas sighs.  “But, we have to try to prepare for them to attack.  We both know they won’t let it go that we undermined their design.”

You shake your head.  “I’m not starting a war with them, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

“I’m not.  We have enough problems in Heaven.  I don’t need that burden as well.  I’m just saying that we need to remain vigilant.”    

You relax, and smile at him.  He’s so wound up and rigid.  “You can’t fight fate, angel.  You should know that.”  You shrug, and start walking back to the room.

Cas grabs ahold of your arm.  “I don’t think you are taking this serious enough,” he grates.

“And I think you are taking this too seriously.  I have worked for The Sisters for hundreds of years.  I’m not saying I’m not scared of them, I am.  I’m terrified, but…”  Castiel lets go off your arm.  He studies you, as you try to put into words how you can be so calm.  “Look.  God could smite you, yes?  For no reason.”

“He wouldn’t do that.”

“He could.”

“Yes,” Cas reluctantly admits.  “Where are you going with this?”

“He could smite you, and you couldn’t stop him, but this doesn’t stop you from going against him.”

“I do not…” he starts to protest.

You put the tips of your fingers on his lips, silencing him.  “Fine.  Angels in general could go against him.  Perhaps if he ordered them to do something they didn’t agree with?  They get punished, and life goes on.  The Fates are no different.  They will punish us, yes, but we can’t stop them.  This doesn’t mean that what we did was wrong, but why obsess about it?”

Castiel places his hand around your wrist, removing your fingers from his face.  He holds your arm a little away from him, but doesn’t release it.  “I do not like doing nothing.”

“We can’t keep an eye out for everything.  We have no idea what they will do, or when.  Things could already be set in motion, and we’d never know.”

“Yes, we would,” he says pointedly.

You scoff, and pull your arm away from him.  “I’m not going to read the tapestry,” you reply, shaking your head.  “One, they never leave their alcove, and two, it’s so complex and ever changing.  I’d have no idea what to look for.”

He lets out a frustrated breath.  “You’re right.  But we must protect Sam.  I told you, I don’t like doing nothing.”

You think for a moment.  “Alright.  We could offer them something.  A relic?  Or someone else’s life?”

Cas glares at you.  “You can’t do that!  Sacrifice someone else?  Who?”  You shrug.  “Sam is my friend,” Castiel rants, “but that does not mean that I would send someone else to their death for him.  Especially an innocent.”

You hold your hands up in surrender.  “Whoa.  I’m just making suggestions.  And if you really are a soldier, then you should know better than anyone else, that people and principles get sacrificed all the time.  I’m just trying to help.”

“We’ll come up with another way.”

You nod.  “Okay.”


	16. Making Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Castiel work together to determine what would best placate The Fates, and keep Sam and Dean safe from them.
> 
>  
> 
> ********************************************************************************

Castiel exits the room to see you sitting on the ground, leaning against the building.  You’re watching the stars come out as the sky darkens.

“They kicked me out,” he complains.

“Why?”

“They don’t like me ‘hovering’ while they sleep they said.  I tried to explain that I don’t hover.  My feet are always on the ground, but Dean made me leave.”

You softly smile, a light chuckle escaping you.  “You can sit with me,” you suggest.  He frowns down at you, but doesn’t accept your offer.  You let out a frustrated breath.  “Will you hold my assignment against me forever?  That is a long time to hold a grudge and your friends lives are short in comparison.”

Castiel gathers his coat under him and slumps down next to you; perhaps a trifle too close as he brushes up against you.

“We are not going to sacrifice another,” he admonishes you.

You ignore his comment.  “There are two things I know the sisters covet: Harmonia’s necklace, and Tiamat’s tablet.”

“Both of them are old gods,” Castiel says with a scowl.

“Yes.  Did you think The Fates would want something new?”

“Harmonia’s necklace is cursed.  Why would The Fates want that?”

“To inflict it on others I imagine.  It would be easy to obtain.  Harmonia isn’t attached to it from what I’ve heard.”

“Would it be enough?”

You sigh, and think on it for a moment.  “I don’t know.  I guess it depends on who they can pass the curse onto.  Of course, if they want someone to fall on misfortune, they have us to order around.”

Castiel nods, and shifts slightly.  The ground is not the most comfortable place to sit.  His leg leans against yours, causing a blush to creep up your face.  He doesn’t seem to care or notice, you’re not sure which it is, and don’t care to ask.

“I am unfamiliar with Tiamat’s tablet,” he admits.  “Is its significance enough?”

“They don’t like Harmonia because she desires order and will sometimes try to undo what the sisters have done, but their spat seems minor to me.”

“And Tiamat?  Do they wish her greater harm?” Castiel asks with a quirked eyebrow.

“I’ve heard that they complain about her the most.  She is the Babylonian goddess of chaos.  The Fates do like some order, and Tiamat cares little for their plans.  I am unsure of what the tablet does, but I know they’d want it if it harmed her.”

“Then we should not delay.  We need to find out what the tablet does and how we can obtain it,” Castiel remarks, standing up swiftly.

You slowly stand up beside him, placing a hand on his arm.  “We can’t rush off.  It can wait.  No one has taken it so far.”  Not wanting the impatient angel to leave, you add, “Besides don’t you want to fill Sam and Dean in on the plan?”

Castiel relaxes his rigid stance slightly.  You’re right, he shouldn’t be so impulsive, and he does want his friends to weigh in on the issue.  He sighs and you drop your hand.

“They will not be up for several hours,” he laments.

“Then sit with me and watch the stars.”

“I have seen them already, and the ground is hard and uncomfortable.”

“Then let’s go to the park.  There’s always one nearby.”

“I don’t think there are any ducks to feed at this time,” Castiel points out.

“We can swing, and I’ll tell you some of the stories the humans have made up for the constellations.”

“I don’t know how to swing,” Cas mutters, embarrassed at having to admit he can’t do something so trivial.

“I’ll teach you,” you smile.  “And you’ll like it.  You can sit and have your wings out.  It’s nice because they won’t even get in the way.”

***********

“So let me get this straight,” Dean says pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed, “you want to bargain with The Fates for Sam’s life?”  He looks up at the two standing in front of him.  “Didn’t you already take care of this, Cas?”

“Yes, but…”

“Look, we have enough to deal with right now,” Dean huffs standing up.  You and Castiel take a step back to give Dean some room.  Sam just quietly sits at the desk in the hotel room, watching the scene unfold.

“We already have a lead…” you start.

Dean scoffs.  “Yes, of course, our resident expert.  Then why are you trying to involve us?”

“Because Sam is involved,” Castiel interjects.

“And again,” Dean says sweeping his arms out, “you already took care of it.”

Sam clears his throat as Dean plops back down onto the bed looking worn out.  All eyes go to the younger Winchester.

“Yeah, but it was only a temporary fix, right?  They’re just trying to help,” he points out to his brother.

Dean sighs.  “We have 3 cases on our plate right now, do we really want to start some mission looking for…”  He turns back to you and Cas, his eyes going back and forth, “Just what the hell are you asking us to look for?”

You sit down on the opposite bed facing Dean.  “We have two options, but,” you pause glancing at Castiel.

“But,” he picks up the conversation, “one is easier to get than the other.”

“Fine.  Let’s get the easier one,” Dean agrees with a snippy tone.

“Yes,” Castiel interjects, “that would be wise, except… except Avra doesn’t think it will be enough to get them to leave Sam alone for good.  Or you either for that matter.”

“Me??  What the hell do I have to do with it?”

Sam decides to jump in again as Dean stands up once more.  “I’m guessing that they’re worried that if I’m not an option, The Fates will take out their revenge on the person closest to me, which is you.”

Both you and Cas nod at this.

“Well, shit,” Dean mutters.  “Alright, but we do this on our time table, not yours.”

Castiel starts to protest, but you quickly speak up before he can get a word in.  “Accepted.  One of us can keep you safe, and one can start looking.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Dean mumbles taking himself out of the decision.  “Flip a coin or something.  Sammy, let’s make sure we have what we need so we can get these cases put to rest.”

**********

The boys are pulled off on the side of the road taking a catnap when the flutter of wings alerts them to someone’s arrival. 

“That better be the angel,” Dean mutters.

Sam cracks an eye open, and slightly turns his head.  “Nope,” he replies closing his eye again.

“What, Avra?” Dean barks out.  “Can’t stand to be away from me for more than a day or two?” he smirks.

No reply from you, gets him to sit up and turn around.  Sam stays hunched down in his seat, but opens his eyes, watching his brother.

“I know I’m desirable and all,” Dean smugly states, “but you’re a little too clingy for me.  Sorry, sweetheart.  You’re going to have to set your sites on someone else.”

You chuckle at him, your eyes looking at him warmly.  “I’ll keep that in mind,” you playfully reply.

Dean turns back around, and resumes his napping position letting his eyes drift shut again.  “So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?” he asks sarcastically.

“I just thought I’d check up on you.”

“Heard we were without our guardian angel?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, well, he had some business in Heaven to take care of.”

You only nod, not that either Winchester sees you.  Castiel had let you know, which is why you were here now.

“Did you get any more information?” Sam asks.

“Shh,” Dean mumbles.  “Nap first, then food, case, and maybe conversation later.”

The car goes quiet except for the sound of steady breathing up front.  You turn sideways so you can stretch out your legs in the back and watch the traffic pass by.  Thankfully you have an abundance of patience and don’t mind waiting.


End file.
